Geneva

June 29:  We had a noisy night but fortunately it cooled down to acceptable temperatures.  We had breakfast in the hotel and ventured forth to visit the United Nations Geneva.  We walked up to the train station and caught the tram that goes to the front gate of the UN.  This is not the gate for visitors, but is the location of the statue of 'the Broken Chair" erected to remind people of the horror of land mines, cluster bombs, and the like, that maim civilians more than combatants.  The statue is a standard four-legged chair, red and big enough for a giant, with one shattered front leg.

The visitor entrance is 500 meters uphill and around to the side of a large, lovely complex with attractive gardens and views across Lake Geneva.  We joined what I called the 3-line gambit.  The first line was a security pass through a metal detector.  The guard was friendly but metered us out in small numbers.  We had to take everything out of our pockets, take the belt off, even if it was fabric, take off our watches, and some people had to remove their shoes.  This was the longest wait.  The second line was to check identification (one passport per group, a photo was taken and wrist band issued).  Betsy was the leader of our group of two and received the ID check.  The third line was to pay the entrance fee.  As OAPs, we got in for 20 CHF (Swiss Francs).  We paid with a credit card since we had no Swiss Francs.

After the processing gambit, we walked to another building and arrived in time for the 11 am guided tour in English.  Pablo, a young man, led the group around, explaining the history and mission of the UN as we went.  We went into several of the 50+ conference rooms, ranging in capacity of 20 to 2000 people.  Each has desks for delegates/attendees, chairs for support staff behind them, and observation areas for NGOs, non-member reps, etc. as well as glassed levels for interpretors.  All meetings are conducted in either French or English, but there are 4 other official languages - Russian, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic.  At present there are 193 member countries, with South Sudan being the most recent addition.  The UN in New York is the political HQ, with the General Assembly and Security Council.  The UN in Geneva is the mission HQ for humanitarian and similar activities.  

Pablo pointed out some of the art or displays on the walls that have been  contributed by member countries.  We next saw a conference underway and listened to a bit of the proceedings.  We heard two countries present 2 minute statements protesting human rights violations in Urkraine, particularly in the eastern portion, or Crimea.

We left the modern building (mid 60's architecture) and entered one built in 1929, specifically for the League of Nations.  Pablo pointed out the door handles which still have the League of Nations logo.  The structure is handsome and probably adaptable, since it still serves well.   We visited the largest assembly hall which concluded our tour.  We wandered back to the gift shop and bought a couple of  souvenirs, mostly to support the UN's mission.

We walked back around the UN grounds, outside and then through a botanical garden to the lakefront.  We walked back to town and our hotel, where the luggage was stored.  Along the way, we had views of classical mansions (block-like), lots of people jogging, sunbathing and even swimming, two families of grebes (4 or 5 goslings and very attentive parents), a distance view of what we think was Mt Blanc, snow capped, and the city with the jet fountain. 

We retrieved our luggage, walked to the train station and caught the TGV to Paris, Gare Lyon.

We arrived into Paris after racing along at up to 186 mph, after getting out of the mountains.  We walked to our hotel, a modest one but it should be quiet and convenient.